Sunak Responds to Galloway Win
Rishi Sunak ever the man to get out behind a story, never in front of it has slammed extremism from Islamists and the Far Right. Maybe, looking from as far left as the Tories have swung, normal middle Britons appear to him to be far right, but to us, they are just being proved right so far.
We have an unofficial blasphemy law in the UK that detemines that any time you mention Muslim Extremism you have to wrap the sentence up with the inclusion of Far Right extremist groups.
Sunak Reacts to Protests Eventually
In recent weeks and months, we have seen a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality. What started as protests on our streets has descended into intimidation, threats and planned acts of violence. Jewish children fearful to wear their school uniform that reveal their identity.
Muslim women abused in the street for the actions of a terrorist group they have no connection with. Now our democracy itself is a target. Council meetings and local events have been stormed. MPs do not feel safe in their homes.
Galloway Election is “Beyond Alarming”
Long-standing parliamentary conventions have been upended because of safety concerns. It is beyond alarming that last night the Rochdale by election returned a candidate who dismisses the horror of what happened on October the 7th. Who glorifies Hezbollah and is endorsed by Nick Griffin the racist former leader of the BNP.
I need to speak to you all this evening because this situation has gone on long enough and demands a response. Not just from government but from all of us. Britain is a patriotic, liberal democratic society with a proud past and a bright future.
We’re a reasonable country and a decent people. Our story is one of progress, of great achievements and enduring values.
Immigrants who have come here have integrated and contributed. They have helped write the latest chapter in our island story. They have done this without being required to give up their identity. You can be a practicing Hindu and a proud Britain as I am, or a devout Muslim and a patriotic citizen as so many are. Or a committed Jewish person and the heart of your local community and all underpinned by the tolerance of our established Christian church.
Multiculturalism is Failing
We are a country where we love our neighbours. We are building Britain together. But I fear that our great achievement in building the world’s most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy is being deliberately undermined.
There are forces here at home trying to tear us apart since October the 7th. There have been those trying to take advantage of the very human angst that we all feel about the terrible suffering that war brings to the innocent to women and children. To advance a divisive hateful ideological agenda.
On too many occasions recently our streets have been hijacked by small groups who are hostile to our values and have no respect for our democratic traditions.
Membership of our society is contingent on some simple things that you abide by. The rule of law that change can only come through the peaceful Democratic process. Threats of violence and intimidation are alien to our way of doing things. Extremism must be resisted at all times.
Nearly everyone in Britain supports these basic values. But there are small and vocal hostile groups who do not. Islamist extremists and the far right feed off and embolden each other. They are equally desperate to pretend that their violence is somehow Justified when actually these groups are two sides of the same extremist coin.
Neither group accept that change in our country can only come through the peaceful democratic process. Both loathe the pluralist modern country we all want.
To set Britain against Britain, to weaponize the evils of antisemitism and anti-muslim hatred for their own ends. The faith of Islam, peacefully practiced by millions of our fellow citizens is emphatically not the same thing as the extremist political ideology of Islamism which aims to separate Muslims from the rest of society.
Who are these Far Right Groups?
Islamist extremists and far-right groups are spreading a poison.
That poison is extremism it aims to drain us of our confidence in ourselves as a people. In our shared future they want us to doubt ourselves, to doubt each other, to doubt our country’s history and achievements. They want us to accept a moral equivalence between Britain and some of the most despicable regimes in the world. They want us to believe that our country and the West more generally is solely responsible for the world’s ills. And that we along with our allies are the problem.
In short, they want to destroy our confidence and hope. We must not allow that to happen. When these groups claim that Britain is and has been on the wrong side of history, we should reject it and reject it again. No country is perfect but I am enormously proud of the good that our country has done.
Our place in history is defined by the sacrifices our people have made in the service of their own freedom and that of others. When these groups tell our children that they cannot and will not succeed because of who they are. When they tell children that the system is rigged against them or that Britain is a racist country. This is not only a lie but a cynical attempt to crush young dreams and turn impressionable minds against their own society.
First Non-White PM – Most Incompetent PM
I stand here as our country’s first non-white Prime Minister, leading the most diverse government in our country’s history. To tell people of all races, all faiths and all backgrounds it is not the colour of your skin, the god you believe in or where you were born that will determine your success. Just your own hard work and Endeavour.
We must be prepared to stand up for our shared values in all circumstances no matter how difficult. I respect that the police have a tough job in policing the protests. We have seen that they are operationally independent but we must draw a line. Yes, you can march and protest with passion, you can demand the protection of civilian life but no you cannot embrace extremism or call for violent Jihad.
There is no context in which it can be acceptable to beam antisemitic tropes onto Big Ben in the middle of a vote on Israel Gaza.
Sunak Speaks – Nothing Happens
There can be no cause that you can use to justify the support of a prescribed extremist terrorist group like Hamas. Yes you can freely criticize the actions of this government or indeed any government, that is a fundamental democratic right. But no you cannot use that as an excuse to call for the eradication of a state or any kind of hatred, extremism or antisemitism.
This week I’ve met with senior police officers and made clear it is the public’s expectation that they will not merely manage these protests but police them. I say this to the police, we will back you when you take action. But if we are asking more of the police, we in government must also back up that call with action.
To that end this month the government will Implement a new robust framework for how it deals with this issue to ensure that we are dealing with the root causes of this extremism problem. And that no extremism organizations or individuals are being lent legitimacy by their actions and interactions with central government.
You cannot be part of our civic life if your agenda is to tear it down. We will redouble our support for the prevent program to stop young minds being poisoned by extremism. Universities must stop extremist activity on campus. We’ll also act to prevent people entering this country whose aim is to undermine its values. The Home Secretary has instructed that if those here on visas choose to spew hate or protest or seek to intimidate people, we will remove their right to be here.
Sunak Created Division During Covid
Britain must not be a country in which we descend into polarized camps with some communities living parallel lives. It is not enough to live side by side. We must live together united by shared values and a shared commitment to this country. I want to speak directly to those who choose to continue to protest don’t let the extremists hijack your marches.
You have a chance in the coming weeks to show that you can protest decently, peacefully and with empathy for your fellow citizens. Let us prove these extremists wrong and show them that even when we disagree, we will never be disunited from our common values of decency and respect.
I love this country; my family and I owe it so much. The time has now come for us all to stand together to combat the forces of division and beat this poison. We must face down extremism which would tear us apart. There must be leadership, not pandering or appeasement. When they tell their lies, we will tell the truth. If they try and sap our confidence, we will redouble our efforts. When they try and make us doubt each other we will dig deeper for that extra ounce of compassion and empathy that they want us to believe doesn’t exist.
I know that if we do that, we can build on our great achievement in creating today’s Britain. A country of kind, decent, tolerant people.
We can make this a country in which we all feel a renewed sense of pride. This is our home so let us go forward together confident in our values and confident in our future.